Silly Secrets and Thankful Consequences
by ElizaGolightly
Summary: A modern take on the moment Lizzie and Mr. Darcy finally get together. [Reviews Appreciated.]


**A/N: **First attempt at a P&P fic, despite loving the novel for so long now. Go easy? Ha, well on with the show I suppose.

_Disclaimer: _I do not own, nor claim to own anything. Jane Austen is quite fantastic and I am not!

It's a modern version of when Lizzie and Mr. Darcy finally reveal their feelings. I figured that if Lizzie is as headstrong as Austen writes her to be then she wouldn't just take the revelations or her change of heart lightly in today's world. Hope you enjoy. All reviews are appreciated!

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"So you knew all this time? That Charles was going back to Jane?" Lizzie Bennett pointed at Will Darcy accusingly, his once thought pompous attitude lording over her fury mixed with a strange gratitude.

"I did. You weren't supposed to know." He said quietly, looking straight at her with not even a hint of superiority. For once he seemed just as equal to Lizzie no matter how high his status was in society.

"Why on earth shouldn't I have known, Darcy, tell me!" Her tone was getting more frustrated and her voice was inching up a few decibels with every word. He had had almost enough of this kind of attitude from her and began to wonder why he'd even bothered with helping in the first place, she clearly didn't care. But then that was love for you, it came with trials and tribulations…and apparently opinionated damsels.

"Because it was me who talked sense into Charles in the first place! Honestly, Lizzie, if you'd known it was me would it have made you actually smile at me for a change instead of holding me in contempt every bloody day of your life?" He was exasperated, had enough. If she wanted to know, well then let her. It wasn't earning him any Brownie points by staying quiet so why would it hurt him any longer to reveal his secret.

"But it was you who warned him away in the first place! I don't understand." She had a valid point, good old Lizzie Bennett, could always rely on her to point out the faults. But her stubbornness was one of the many qualities Will had grown to love. Yes, she was stubborn but he was a stuck-up twit, living the lavish life in his penthouse apartment overlooking the River Thames. It was a small acceptance he could make for what he would be asking of her if she were to love him in return.

"Of course you don't understand. No, actually scratch that. You should understand." The frustrations with each other were reaching new heights and Will was almost about to cave in and walk away. He hadn't turned up at Lizzie's family home in sight of an argument; in fact he called by to see if Charles had actually contacted her yet. Charles was the sort of man, passionate and entertaining, that Will so often wished he could be. Maybe that was the way to capture Lizzie's heart, the way that Charles had done Jane's.

Charles and Jane would make such a good couple, in fact they did and it was one of Will's biggest regrets. Many months before he had advised Charles against Jane, they were the talk of the close-knit circle of friends around London. Charlotte Lucas – soon to-be Collins – was always raving about how when they get together they were surely destined to be together for all eternity. At the time Will had thought her a hopeless romantic with wild visions but now, after months of seeing his friend moping around his flat, drinking 'til all hours and rejecting other female company he began to realise he had maybe made a mistake. Not to mention the run-ins with Lizzie, constantly reminding him what an insufferable, stuck-up idiot he was and how he had most definitely ruined all of Jane's hopes and dreams.

Advising Charles that Jane was only out for his money was a suggestion that should never have been placed into his friend's mind, as he saw now. But there was one problem with his good deed. Lizzie was never meant to find out and yet somehow she had.

But he was soon snapped from his state of regretful reverie as yet another attack from Lizzie was fired right in his direction.

"I do not understand, Darcy! I heard what you had to say about me when we first met, in the club remember? You said I looked desperate, maybe a little cheap so I have no clue where this idea that you actually liked me came from. It was clearly a small delusion on your part which you have no doubt corrected by now. However, I will say thank you for seeing the extreme error of your ways. Charles rang Jane last night, he's coming over tomorrow for dinner and then he's taking her out somewhere. I've never seen her happier." Her voice mellowed out towards the end where she suddenly seemed uncomfortable.

Maybe it was a mistake to show her vulnerability but Will did not miss it. He realised rather quickly that this argument was different to any others they had shared. Lizzie didn't seem as though she actually felt the fury she was portraying with her words, releasing a small mental laugh Will wondered how he had not noticed before now. When she answered the door he could have sworn that she had looked slightly happy to see him but that thought was expelled when she launched her first attack on him, but it didn't carry half as much convincing anger behind it as their usual encounters did.

"We both know I regret that statement. I wish you'd let it go, we've already discussed this. But I'm glad to hear about Jane, really there's no need for thanks. I'm not entirely sure I did it for her anyway." After the slight revelation that had just overwhelmed him he didn't think it so bad to drop a few hints that he was most definitely interested in her still, that he was fascinated by her very being, adored each and every quality that made her 'Lizzie', even her family, despite their insistent boisterousness, had become endearing in a way he knew not how to describe.

"Well if not for Jane, I'm sure Charles is grateful at least. As am I, you can't imagine how many nights she's dragged me on the town to find her a suitable replacement. Not an easy task, matching up to Mr Charles Bingley, I'll tell you." She chuckled before catching herself revealing more than she would have liked and quickly reverting back to the usual stance; looking anywhere but at Will.

"I'm sure its not. He's a good man, he'll make Jane happy. But saying that, I didn't do it for my friend either." He was smirking now, enjoying watching her rile up with annoyance as she mistook his hints – which he was sure he wasn't doing too well at – as being arrogant.

"Well I should have known, shouldn't I? Why ever would you have done something for another person, Darcy? It's the most obvious answer, that you did it to ease your own conscience and for your pride but sorry for giving you the benefit of the doubt." She huffed and in one quick, swift movement almost shut the front door in his face. But no, Will Darcy was one determined man. This was an opportunity he couldn't miss, Lizzie was subconsciously displaying feelings for him other than disdain and how could he waste his chance?

"I did it for you!" He said quickly which immediately halted the process of the front door shutting on him. It slowly opened with just her face peeking meekly from behind it. The sheepish act making Will want to laugh at just how sweet she looked, the urge to hold her or kiss her that had been with him since she answered the door, her clothes fitted and her hair loose, was stronger than it had been before as she gazed up at him with astonishment filling her beautiful eyes.

"For me?" She asked quietly. 'Of course for you, for whom else? For crying out loud Lizzie Bennett, I love you!' was what he wanted to shout from the rooftops but something told him she wouldn't appreciate the public humiliation of such an act, let alone what the press would do with such a story.

"I couldn't bear to see you so worked up over my ridiculous actions so I set to rectify them. I cannot wish to have you Lizzie, like you believe to be a delusion, but at least reassure me that my attempts to at least make you happy haven't been in vain?" He thought he saw a small glimmer of a smile as she tore her eyes from his once again looking at the floor. Opening the door fully and leaning on the frame she gave a small chuckle before looking up in a way that suggested giving up once and for all.

"Oh Will, when did you stop being so like…well 'you'? I could have handled this if you were the man I had judged you to be when we first met." It seemed it was now Will's turn to be confused, what on earth did she mean? Handled what? He sincerely meant he was only out for friendship, civility at the least. Maybe she had misconstrued what he had said as an advance!

"I'm not sure I'm following, Lizzie." He answered uncertainly. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, confusion. Everyone usually agreed with him or put it all out on a plate so he had every possible question answered. But not Lizzie Bennett. No, Lizzie would be the one to break the pattern. She smiled sweetly and the urge swept him again and as he suppressed it she let out a sort of nervous laugh to match the way she was feeling.

"You've changed, everyone can see that and it's obviously resulted in this thing with Jane. I just cannot dislike you anymore. In fact, it's quite the opposite. You have made me more than happy, Will. I just couldn't believe my feelings would change and then there was the major doubt that yours were even genuine so…" But he had cut her off. He didn't want to know where this sudden change of heart had some from or whatever she had to say next, it would probably just be a nervous ramble of words that didn't matter.

No, Will had given into the urges that had been with him since he first clapped eyes on a windswept, natural Lizzie Bennett concerned for her sister after a small accident disabled her from being able to return home. The same urges that had taken over him when he first revealed that he was very much interested in her and wanted to take her out while on a chance meeting. The same urges that had been plaguing him throughout his plight to prevent her other sister, Lydia, from dating a man with disagreeable intentions, during his task to convince Charlie to go to Jane and ask to have her back and all throughout this chance meeting at her family home.

Yes, as soon as the words that revealed Lizzie Bennett shared his feelings, he had swept her up in his arms and kissed her with all the passion he had kept pent-up for so long while he waited for her and he was not disappointed to find she didn't reject him, instead kissing him back fervently as though she had loved him for as long as he had her.

Breaking apart pained him but a small matter of needing oxygen came into it. What a chance, though! To call round, not even expecting to see Lizzie and now all this!

"I think I may have fallen in love with you, Will Darcy." She smiled shyly as she looked up him from where she stood, pulled against his strong chest.

"Lizzie," He murmured as he ran his hand over her hair, smoothing it affectionately.

"I have waited so long for you." But he soon had the moment snatched from him as Lizzie bounded back, a grin on her face and hands on her hips looking at him happily but with a hint of mischief showing in her eyes. "What is it?"

"Well, I think we had better seal this with a date. So where are you taking me, Darcy?" She laughed and Will soon joined in, happiness exuding from him as he took all of her in. She was his at last, his Lizzie and she was most definitely worth the wait.


End file.
